


The Fool

by Nate2247



Category: Hollow Knight (Video Game)
Genre: Action/Adventure, Action/Romance, Blood, Bug on Bug Action, Bugs, F/M, Romance, Violence
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-04-22
Updated: 2018-10-01
Packaged: 2019-04-26 04:16:15
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 5
Words: 7,737
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14394093
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Nate2247/pseuds/Nate2247
Summary: A defeated Tiso must reclaim his glory and regain his honor after a defeat coming from the hands of the God Tamer herself. But when an unexpected ally decides to help him achieve this goal, he must ask himself- is glory the only road to happiness?(Yeah, I know it’s cheezy, just give it a chance)Based off of fan art by tumblr user leeffi. Be sure to check it out!





	1. The Fall

     “From honor comes strength, and from strength, honor.”  
These were the words that Tiso lives by. He trained by them. He fought by them. He even killed by them. His entire life was spent with these words in mind, turning him in to one of the most powerful warriors alive.

     These words were the words that repeated in his head, like a drumbeat, as he stepped through the gate and onto the dusty floor of the Colosseum of Fools. His heart pounded in his chest, sending energy coursing through his veins. Everything he had done, every battle he had fought, every life he had taken, had brought him this moment- no, they earned him this moment. He deserved the right to be here. He had passed through the previous challenges of the Colosseum with ease, cutting down foes without a second thought.  
Now, though, the real challenge awaited him.

     The metal gate slammed shut behind Tiso, echoing through the cavernous room and silencing the crowd of spectators, their hungry eyes watching for bloodshed. Across the room from him, he could head the clanking of heavy metal chains. A second gate, triple Tiso’s height, began to rise into the air.  
From the metal maw of the cage came a dull *thud*.

      Then another.

      And another.

     Soon a giant creature, as big as Tiso was tall, began to emerge from the shadowy depths of the cage, revealing a giant, hideous beasts. Its face had four sets of beady, black eyes, and a mouth consisting of ugly writhing tentacles. Its six legs protruded out of its body, each plated with spiked metal armor that curved upwards into a barbed tip.  
But, that wasn’t his real opponent. The monstrous beast was not whom he was supposed to defeat.

     Atop its back sat a figure, clothed in rusted crimson red armor that clanked with every step the beast took forward. The rider carried a long nail on her shoulder, the likes of which Tiso had never seen before. A long, curved blade with a jagged tip, reminiscent to that of a mantis arm- and from the looks of it, it was just as sharp as one, too. The hilt of the nail came to a pointed tip, capable of penetrating the toughest of armor with ease. From how large the nail was, it seemed impossible to carry, and yet the rider seemed to handle it with ease.

     The beast’s rider hoisted the nail off of her shoulder and pointed towards Tiso- a challenge, and one that he took gladly.  
Tiso readied his shield strapped to his left arm, raising it into a defensive stance. Before him stood the bane of countless colosseum Fools- the God Tamer herself.  
The onlookers were silent. The anticipation and tension in the air felt oppressive. The God Tamer looked at Tiso through her helmet- at least, he suspected that she did. The metal grate obstructed her eyes from view, making her next moves unknowable.

     “God Tamer!” Tiso shouted, “I have come to challenge you!” He waited for a response.

     The Rider simply stared.

    “Er- Prepare for your final battle!” Tiso said, tilting his head slightly. Could she hear him under her helmet?  
“God Tamer!” He tried again, “Fall before my strength-”

     With a jolt, the God Tamer kicked the side of the Beast. It bucked harshly and sent its rider hurtling, eliciting a collective gasp from the crowd. She arched in the air, soaring over Tiso. He barely stumbled out of the way just as she slammed her nail into the ground exactly where he was standing a moment earlier. A plume of dust rose into the air as the crowd roared.

      The fight had begun.

     Tiso prepared to attack, but the God Tamer recovered faster than he had anticipated. She heaved her nail around, slashing upwards, forcing Tiso to block the attack- a move he quickly regretted. The impact of the two metals reverberated through his arm and he nearly cried out in pain.

     Fortunately for Tiso, the God Tamer was also recovering from the attack. He rushed into range and bashed her with his shield. It knocked her back slightly, but only dented her armor. 

     Tiso reared his left arm back, but the God Tamer was ready. As he pushed forwards, she batted the blow away to his left and punched with her free hand. Her fist connected with Tiso’s jaw, tiny metal spikes embedded into her gauntlet painfully grazing his face and knocking him off balance. Before he could regain it, a knee slammed into Tiso’s chest, nearly winding him. Clutching his abdomen, he stumbled away to safety- or what he thought was safety.

    A great weight suddenly slammed into Tiso’s side, sending him sprawling to the dusty floor halfway across the colosseum. The beast roared and stamped its feet, preparing to charge again. Tiso rolled to the right, moving out of the way just as the beast rushed past him.

     Clearly, Tiso was outmatched. Luckily, he had planned for this.  
“Rider!” He shouted, “Prepare to face your death!”

   Tiso used a clawed thumb to saw through a small string in the handle of his shield. The string snapped, and five blades instantly sprung out of the edges of the shield is a star-shaped pattern.  
The God Tamer stood still. Her left antennae twitched, and she stifled a cough.

   Tiso roared and charged her. She raised her nail and swiped at him- but at the last moment he ducked under the blade before slashing upwards. A spike sliced through the God Tamer’s armor, and she recoiled back quickly. A trickle of yellow-green liquid trickled through it.

  “First blood,” Tiso remarked and grinned, his confidence restored. He heard a rumbling behind him. Leaping to the right, he barely dodged as the beast rolled past him, curled into a ball like a pillbug. It curved around and charged again. Tiso sidestepped and gouged at the beast’s side as it passed, a spray of blood highlighting the blow. The beast unfurled and roared in pain, stumbling and skidding to a halt. Tiso felt a surge of pride- then heard a then heard the sound of tearing metal.

     And then he felt pain. Blinding pain. From the bottom of his back to the top, there was nothing but searing agony. He cried out and collapsed to the floor. A hand roughly grabbed his shoulder and forced him around, sending more pain shooting through his back. Tiso lashed out with his shield, but before he could connect the God Tamer stomped on his elbow, crushing it under a metal boot. Tiso struggled against the weight, to no avail. She leaned over him, sinking her nail into the ground next to his head.

     “Is that really all you’ve got, little fool?” She taunted. “How disappointing.”

     Tiso spat at her in response-which unfortunately only landed back on his face

     The God Tamer chuckled, “Really? That’s what you’re going for here? Any other contestant would be begging for their lives at this point, but you?” She hummed, “You’ve still got that fire. You must be incredibly brave, or incredibly stupid.”

       The God Tamer stood back up to her full height, still keeping her weight on his arm- which by how much pain Tiso felt was probably shattered in a million places.

    “Well, as much as I would love do draw this out any longer, the crowd wants blood.”  
She took her nail out of the ground and raised it above her head, pointing the tip directly at Tiso’s face. The spectators went eerily silent, waiting for the final blow. Tiso’s mind raced frantically. Surely, there must be something that he could do-  
     -Oh.  
     “I’m a Fool.” He muttered to himself.  
Just before the God Tamer brought down her weapon, Tiso curled his legs up and kicked against her chest. She doubled over, clutching her abdomen, and Tiso grabbed at her face with his good arm. He clutched an antennae and, with all of his might, have a harsh pull. It snapped away, and the God Tamer screamed in agony. She collapsed to the floor text to him, clutching the stump of the antennae as blood poured out of it. 

      Tiso took his chance to roll away and pick himself up. He then gingerly removed the shield from his broken arm and strapped it to his good arm. He was much less trained with that arm- but it would have to do.

Meanwhile, the Got Tamer eventually got back up to her feet. She jabbed her nail at him.

    “Oh, yeah,” she growled, “you are definitely stupid.” She roared and charged at Tiso, swinging her sword in an arc. He clumsily parried the attack with his shield, the impact bruisin his arm badly. Nevertheless, he took the opportunity to jab forwards, punching a metal spike through her armor and into her chest.

     The God Tamer roared again, this time it pain, as she swung her blade back around. It caught Tiso in the side of his abdomen, slicing it open and tattering his cloak, though it was too shallow to be worried about. A third attack came as she elbowed him in the face. He took the blow, but firmly planted his feet on the ground and retaliated in kind, knocking the God Tamer in the side of her head with a strong punch, denting her helmet. She took a couple steps back and tore off the twisted price of metal obstructing her view, revealing the black face on an ant.  
Tiso finally saw the extent of her injuries- her right eye was blackened from the blow, blood trickled, or even poured out of multiple wounds, and her free hand clutched her stomach. Tiso grinned. The foght would soon be over!

     But, wait- something was wrong. Tiso couldn't put a finger on it, but he felt… off… in some way. He took a step forwards, only to stumble and fall to his knees. He looked at the ground- his injuries were plentiful, but blood loss was not yet an issue. Unless…

    “D-did you p-poison me?” He asked the God Tamer, staring furiously into her eyes. Poisoned blades were strictly against the rules, and were grounds for permanent disqualification.  
The God Tamer cocked her head. “What?! Of course not! You’ve just lost too much blood!”

  Tiso doubles over, clutching his stomach, and he hacked up black and yellow bile. His mind was spinning, his vision fading. He barely registered as he fell over to the ground.

    “Ladies and gentlemen, WE HAVE A VICTOR!” The Little Fool announced. The last thing that Tiso heard was the crowd’s thunderous roar, before blacking out.


	2. Rejection

       Tiso awoke to the sound of running water and buzzing wings. He was lying on his side, cheek pressed against the cool rock that made up the ground. He attempted to roll over to his back- only to be met with agony as white hot pain shot through his back. Everything felt broken, like he had taken a hundred foot fall in full armor.  
       Turning his head as little as possible, Tiso attempted to figure out where he was from his surroundings. Snow-like ash rained down from above, partially covering his body with the flaky white substance. He saw rocks. More rocks. A Primal Aspid, buzzing over head. More rock-  
       “Wait!” Tiso shouted in surprise as he reached for his shield- only to find that he didn’t have it. The giant fly buzzed ever closer as Tiso began to freak out. How could he survive all of this, if only to be taken out by an insignificant fly?  
       Tiso made a rescission. He slowly, painfully, picked himself up off of the ground. The pain from his back was unimaginable, and he almost collapsed a second time. Nevertheless, Tiso pushed himself to the feet, looked the Primal Aspid in its many eyes-  
       -And ran.  
Tiso stumbled away from the creature as quickly as he could, all the while berating himself for being such a coward. He clutched his shattered arm and searched frantically for an escape. He saw a series of outcroppings leading across a deep ravine.  
       There! He bade his way over to the ledge, before looking down. It was a hundred foot vertical drop, with a pool of bubbling pale green acid to meet his fall. The outcroppings were spaced just far apart enough that he might be able to jump.  
       The Primal Aspid let out a harsh *SCREE* and spat an three orange glowing globs of acidic saliva at Tiso, and he had no choice but to jump. He leapt across the first gap, closing his eyes out of fear. He painfully crashed into the ground as one of the globs soared over head. Despite his entire body screaming at him to stop, he got up again and pushed forwards, jumping to the next ledge. This time, he was able to land on his feet. He looked back. The Primal Aspid was still following, and it seemed to have attracted some others.  
With no time to rest, Tiso lept to the next outcropping. He landed with a shaky *thud*, and prepared to jump one last time- when the floor started shaking. He looked down. Tiny black lines ran through the ground below, spreading further and further around the platform.  
       Tiso hurriedly jumped, just as the ground collapsed below him. His foot wasn’t able to push itself with the pressure he wanted it to, and he fell short. The final ledge passed over his head as he reached for it- and missed. He plummeted quickly, tumbling through the air at high speeds, before crashing again onto another ledge.  
He landed painfully on his back. He didn’t even have enough energy to scream anymore. He was tired. So tired. He lost everything. His shield was gone, either taken as a trophy or destroyed. His cloak was torn and tattered in a hundred places.  
       Tiso began to do something that he hadn’t done in a long time- he started to cry. Tears rolled down his face as he tried to fight them back, to no avail. He laid there as the white ash fell.  
“Why won’t you let me die already?!” He shouted to nobody. He would let the creatures come. They would like him more quickly than anything else. His corpse would be devoured, I different from all other failed contestants, and he would be forgotten.  
       Except- no. No matter what he thought, no matter what he wanted, his body decided to move. It pushed him up, and he started a slow, painful march up the side of a sloped cliff. Bodies of fallen warriors tumbled down from above, crashing into the rocks and threatening a landslide. He then found himself in a series of maze like tunnels, with pits and turned and spikes everywhere he went. Twice, he was forced to hide from swarms of Hoppers. He collapsed to the floor multiple times, ready to finally give up, and yet Tiso struggled onwards.  
Eventually, he found a small hole in the ceiling. He clawed himself through, exiting the dark caverns and finding himself in a small tent covered in ash. Two bodies rested inside- one hangar no loosely from a hammock, and the other resting on the ground, as if they had died while they were sleeping. Judging by the thick coats of ash everywhere, they had been cocooned inside the tent and suffocated, before it fell to tatters and blew away some of the white powder. Tiso reminded himself to not to make the same mistakes he did. Instead, he grabbed what he found- a rusted lantern, torn blankets and bedrolls, and bundles of dried sticks- and shoved it all down the hole. He dropped down after them, and began the process of setting up a camp.

       By the time Tiso was finally finished, the sun had begun to set, and the last slivers of light finished peeking through the hole above. Tiso had been able to start a small fire using flint and iron he had found on one of the corpses. He rested on a bundle of cloth and blankets he had fastened into a makeshift bed. Twigs littered the only other exit to the cave, aside from the hole, which, if stepped on, would break and alert him.  
He huddled against the warm fire, which fought back the biting cold and darkness. A bandage fashioned out of cloth wrapped around his back wound. His broken left arm rested in a makeshift splint, which, while not ensuring proper healing, would at the very least prevent further damage through movement. The hard chitin was severely damaged in several places, and without proper care would never heal correctly. Unfortunately for Tiso, he did not have the required skills to do so, so he was stuck with what he had.  
       Tiso took a look down at his armor. It was dented, broken, and muddied- and all around useless in a real fight. He slowly undid the straps securing it in place, being extremely mindful of his injuries. It fell to the floor, the sound of clanking metal echoing through the caverns. The blue cloak he wore came next. He lifted it off and over his head and took a look at it. Numerous holes, rips, and tears riddled the cloth. He was tempted to throw it into the fire right then, it had no use anyway. But something stopped him. Rather than burn the fabric, he folded it up into a square and put it to the side. It would be a… reminder, of sorts, to his failure as a fighter.  
       Something echoed from the depths of the cave.  
Tiso’s head perked up. A rhythmic sound emanated from the darkness in front of him, like the clanking of metal on metal. Quickly, Tiso scattered his fire and stomped on the ashes. It sputtered out, casting him in darkness. The noises slowly grew closer and closer to him as he huddled in a corner, drawing the blankets over his body in an attempt to blend in with the surrounding environment. The clanking stopped- and then slowly reversed, until it eventually was covered up from the howling wind outside the hole.  
       Still, Tiso remained hidden. He laid there, curled up in a fetal position, as the hours of the Knight slowly ticked by. When exhaustion finally took over, his mind became riddled with nightmares, giving him no rest.  
       For the first time since he entered Hallownest, Tiso was afraid of the dark.

       For over a week, Tiso persisted like this. He hunted small game with a rudimentary spear made of sticks and stones, and rested heavily in between meals. By night, he cowered in the darkness, listening to the clanking of metal grow ever closer. And never, not even once, did he dare re-light the fire, for fear of the things it might draw. Slowly, over time, his back healed, until he only felt the smooth bumps of a scar when reaching around.  
       His arm, however, was not fading as well. He feared taking it out of its splint, as every moment he made with it hurt. He couldn’t even bend his elbow without risking agonizing pain. He had more-or-less figured out how to force himself to use his right hand for everything, but it had neither the strength, nor the dexterity for self-defense. This, combined with the fact that he had no real weapon, meant that he would be hopeless in any combat scenario- one that with every passing night wandered the caves, clanking out a rhythm which haunted Tiso’s nightmares.  
       On the fifteenth day in banishment, Tiso was out exploring when he made a startling discovery. As he hunted more and more, the local wildlife learned to stay away from him, forcing him to push further and further away from base camp for food.  
       While he was out, he cand across a large pit, one which he could easily descend and scale the cliff face of. He jumped down to the bottom, landing in the pale ash with a soft *thud*. Looking upwards, he saw a sight which made him lose his breath.  
       A tunnel-like structure opened up before him- except it was unlike any tunnel Tiso had ever seen. It was entirely white, like the ash surrounding it. The roof of the entrance hung far into the air, to the point where it was hard to see through all of the ash billowing out of it. Multiple spike-like points jutted from the edge of the structure, which Tiso was tempted to call a mouth. The entire thing put together looked like a giant pale white worm-  
Tiso realized with a jolt as to what exactly he was looking at. This cave- no, this carcass, wasn’t just any worm-  
       It was the worm.  
       The Wyrm.  
       Tiso fell to his knees. He was never a believer of the old tales- he had considered them childish and boring- however the moment he knew what he was looking at he suddenly understood the infatuation everybody had with them. The great body of the Wyrm laid before him, producing the ash all around him as it slowly disintegrated into nothingness- it’s pure form too holy to rot.  
       Tiso didn’t know what to think. Should he bow? Should he pray to the former body of his King? Tiso searched frantically through the ash for something to give as a gift or offering, but-  
       Tiso paused.  
       “No.”  
       Tiso climbed back to his feet. An angry feeling bubbled up inside of him, like boiling lava. He glared at the mouth of the great carcass, clenching his makeshift spear in anger.  
       “NO!” He said again, this time shouting. “Why should I bow down to you?!” He demanded angrily. “I have spent my entire life on my own! You never showed me kindness, or gave me strength!”  
       Tiso knew he was overstepping a line, but he didn’t care. “Where were you when I was cast out of my own village? Where were you when I first killed with my weapon? WHERE WERE YOU WHEN I WAS DEFEATED AT THE HANDS OF A FILTHY CHEATER, AND LEFT TO ROT AMONG THE CORPSES OF LOWLY FOOLS?!”  
       Tiso’s voice turned into an angry roar, which echoed across the cave walls. He felt the wind pick up, swirling the white ash around him like a blizzard.  
       “Well, you know what ?!” He continued, jabbing his spear at the corpse.   
       “I-“ he faltered for a moment. Was this really the best idea? Tiso shook his head. No- this needed to be done.  
       “I REJECT YOU AS MY KING!” He roared.   
       The wind stopped. The ash settled, and all was silent.  
       Then, the silence was broken by a low rumble. It grew in size and volume until It was deafening- and then it grew louder still. Rocks fell from the ceiling. At first, they were only small pebbles. However, they quickly turned into small rocks, then large chunks of the ceiling fell to the ground. Tiso dodged out of the way as a giant boulder twice his size nearly crashed on him.  
       He suspected that he was no longer welcome in the cave.  
       Tiso bolted towards the exit, stumbling and crawling his way up the edges of the cliff. A boulder crashed into his good shoulder, knocking off balance. He hung backwards and, in a moment of desperation, reached out with his bad arm. He weakly grabbed the jagged rock face- just as blinding pain shot through the appendage. Tiso cringed as tears welled up, but he was able to pull himself forwards enough to switch arms once again.  
       Tiso clambered up the rest of the wall, favoring his bad arm, and quickly limped away from the hole in the ground. As he made distance, the wind began to pick back up, and the ash blew around once more. He was safe- for now. But he needed to get back to his camp.  
He had some nightmares to face.

       A great fire crackled before Tiso, illuminating the area around him with vibrant light and casting harsh shadows across the walls of the cave. His spear laid to the right of him, as well as a handful of backups. Spikes made of wood and flint jutted out of the ground away from the flame, in order to ward off the more animalistic predators during the night. His armor laid away to the side, rusted and discarded. The only thing he wore was his blue cloak, now torn and dirtied from the weeks of being in the wilderness with no chance for repair.   
Tiso sat there, staring deeply into the dark in front of him, where the fire’s light fell to shadows. From within the darkness, the sound of clanking, marching metal resonated outwards, drawing ever closer. He picked up one of his spears and stood to his feet, transitioning to the best readied stance that he could muster. *Clank. Clank. Clank.* echoes the darkness as it grew louder and louder.  
       A glint in the pitch black maw of the cave suddenly caught Tiso’s eye. The fire reflected off of metal as a figure emerged from the shadows.  
       Its crimson armor reflected the fire light perfectly, as if it was polished on a daily basis. A gray sword hung on its weirdest back, strapped in by tough leather. Spikes going let’s curled and uncurled in what Tiso could only assume to be anticipation. Four holes were punched in to each side of the helmet for its wearer to see through. Out of the top of the red helm, two antennae twitched back and forth- one considerably shorter than the other.  
       Tiso tightly grasped his spear as fear welled up inside of him. He knew there would be no retreat, no rest, until one of them fell dead.  
       Before Tiso stood his greatest enemy.  
       The God Tamer.


	3. Chapter 3

      Tiso glared at the God Tamer. He gripped his spear so tightly it hurt his hand. The fire flickered wildly, as if it was a reflection of the tension in the room. Across from him, his nemesis stared back, her expression unreadable through her helmet- clearly the dent that he had made during their earlier fight had been hammered out.

      “So,” Tiso began, uneasy from the silence from his opponent. “Have you come to finally finish me off?”

      The God Tamer stared back, and Tiso narrowed his eyes. What was her game?

      Regardless, Tiso continued. “Well, whatever you want-“

      “I want a rematch.”

      Tiso blinked in surprise. “What?”

      “I want a rematch.” She repeated. “Another battle, at the Colosseum, fair and square. No poison, no mounts, no surprises. Just you me, and the glory of battle.”

      The glory of battle. Now  _ that  _ was something Tiso could get behind. He saw visions of grandeur- a fallen Fool, coming back to defeat his opponent after narrowly surviving death. Yes, the crowds would chant his name, and he would become the new King Fool!-

      Wait.

      “No.” He said. Despite not being able to see her expression, Tiso knew that the Got Tamer just flinched.

      “ _ What?!” _

__ “I. Said. No!” Tiso spat through clenched teeth. “You cheated last time. You broke the rules, and  _ I  _ had to suffer for it. You poisoned your blade and threw the match!”

      “ _ I didn’t poison anything!” _ She shouted back, stomping her foot in frustration. “You are making stupid accusations and ignoring the truth!”

      “Oh, and what would this ‘Truth’ be, exactly?”

      “I had no idea about the poison! Little Fool had it done before the fight without my permission or knowledge!”

      Tiso gave a bitter laugh. “Likely story! You are just going to invite me back and kill me in front of everybody to save face! Well you no what? No!”

      “What do you mean, no?!” The God Tamer demanded.

      “I mean, I’m not going back! I'm not going to let you throw the match again. If you want to fight me, do it here!” Tiso readied his spear, grasping and pointing the tip at the God Tamer and shielding his left arm with his body.

      The God Tamer suddenly went still.

      “So be it.” She spat out, and unstrapped her giant nail. She dropped into a crouch, holding the nail behind, ready to strike.

      Tiso wouldn’t make the same mistake twice. He attacked before she had the chance to, charging forewards and thrusting outwards. The God Tamer deftly spun out of the way and the attack missed completely. He tried again, swinging the spear tip in her direction. Again, she dodged. Tiso became furious, swinging and stabbing at the God Tamer with wild abandon. She nimbly ducked and weaved through every attack as Tiso became more and more frustrated with each blow.

      The God Tamer, meanwhile, had a  disappointed scowl on her face. She backed away momentarily.

      “Come on!” She shouted, “Show me that fire from earlier!”

      Tiso roared and jabbed forwards- or at the very least he tried to. As he took the lunge, he stepped on a rock which slid out from under him. Immediately, he planted face-down in the dirt.

      The God Tamer looked at him in shock. “What in the name of the Wyrm itself was that?” She asked. Tiso didn’t bother responding. Instead, he scrambled to his feet and charged again. The God Tamer simply sidestepped, this time not even putting any energy into it, and tripped him as he passed. Once again, Tiso was face down in the dirt.

      This time, the God Tamer pressed down on Tiso’s back with her boot as he desperately clawed for his spear, which had fallen just out of reach.

      “How could this happen?!” Tiso thought to himself. Had she gotten better over the month? Or-

      Or, had he gotten worse?

      Tiso realized it with a jolt. Of  _ course  _ he would be doing so much worse. His muscles were atrophied, his dominant arm was shattered beyond repair, and his weapon was literally scrap at this point in time. Tiso suddenly recognized just how much he had lost after that one fight.

      Under the God Tamer’s boot, Tiso went limp. He had lost so much. What was the point in fighting? What was the point of staying alive? He had nothing. Even if he did survive, where would he go? What would he do? He had nothing.

      Tiso fought back tears- an action that the God Tamer saw.

      “Oh my- Are you crying right now?!”

      “Just…” Tiso choked out, “Just kill me. Please!”

      “By the Abyss, that’s pathetic.” The God Tamer sighed. After a moment, she took a step back and sheathed her weapon.

      “Wh- what are you doing?” Tiso asked.

      “Giving you a fair shot.” She replied.

      “What?” 

      “I want you to pick up your spear, and stab me with it. As hard as you can. I figured it would get your hopes up again, so I wouldn’t just be murdering some sniveling larvae who’d never seen real combat before.”

      Some small part of Tiso told him that he should feel insulted right now, but for the most part he was numb. After processing what the God Tamer had said for a moment, he pushed himself up and picked up his spear. He figured that if he was going to die anyways, it was at least with a shot. Rearing his arm back, Tiso thrust the spear forward with all of his might. It connected with the God Tamer’s metal breastplate-

      And harmlessly bounced off to the side, getting knocked out of his hand in the process. Both Tiso and the God Tamer looked at the spear in shock.

      “...Wow…” The God Tamer said. “That was  _ the most  _ pathetic excuse of an attack that I have ever seen in my entire career.”

      “Hey, you don’t have to be so mean about it!”

      “Oh, for the love of-“ The God Tamer turned on Tiso, “-Would you shut your whining for one damned moment?!”

      Tiso opened his mouth for a retort, didn’t know how to respond, and then closed it again.

      The God Tamer sighed in an exasperated tone and put her hand over her face.

      “Alright, look,” she started, “We both know that you are absolutely awful at this now, correct?”

      ”I’m not awful-“

      “Shut up and let me talk. Here’s my idea; I want to beat you fair and square in the Colosseum of Fools. You  _ used  _ to be good at combat, but you can moleteybsuck at it now. So, here’s the deal; I will help restore you to your former might, so I may kill you during the  _ actual  _ fight. Alright?”

      Tiso had to stop for a moment to think through what the God Tamer had just said. Was she… helping him?

      “Why would you do that from me?” He inquired suspiciously.

      “Because the only thing more pathetic than a weak bug on the ground, crying and begging for death, is killing that bug in combat.”

      Tiso considered his options.

      “And If I said no?”

      “Then I would strike you down where you stand.” She said, unstrapping her nail.

      Tiso had no more options to consider.

      “Alright…” he said, “I'll accept your help.”

      “Good. I’ll be back tomorrow.  _ Don’t. Go. Anywhere.” _

      With that, the God Tamer re-sheathed her nail and receded back into the surrounding darkness, leaving Tiso, once again, alone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the shorter chapter, I just couldn’t find a better place to leave off. Thanks for showing your support!


	4. Chapter 4

     That night, Tiso had yet another restless sleep. He tossed and turned, shivering as the bitter cold digging into him like freezing spikes. The biting wind forced him awake every time a gust blew through the hole above. The fire he had running had long since been blown out, with nothing but black soot remaining. After what felt like an eternity, he was finally able to fall into a sleep filled with fear. How could he trust his former adversary? What would keep her from stabbing him in the back at her first chance? The worries manifested themselves as nightmares, securing the fact that, while he had slept, there was no rest for him.  
     A sharp jab suddenly, and painfully, woke Tiso from his sleep. He clutched his abdomen, cringing, before he noticed a tall shadow standing over him- a shadow whose owner had, apparently, just kicked him with a metal boot.  
     “Get up.” The God Tamer commanded. She backed away as she left him to get up on his own.  
     “You are aware that there are better ways to wake me up, correct?” Tiso growled.  
     The God Tamer shrugged. “True. But none of them are as fun.”  
     “Didn’t you say you were going to train me?”  
     “Yes,” she conceded, “But I also said that I planned to kill you in combat, so it doesn’t matter what I do to you between then and now as long as I keep you alive, right?”  
     Tiso grumbled as he stood up. “So, what are we going to start off with?”  
The God Tamer took off her helmet and placed it on the ground.Tiso noticed that she took extra care around her torn antennae- the wound must still be sensitive.  
     Well, first of all,” The God Tamer said, “Show me your hand- the bad one.”  
Tiso hesitated. What would she do? Was she going to hurt him? Amputate it? Laugh at it again?  
     “Come on, I don’t have all day!”  
Tiso represses his fears and cautiously held his left arm out straight- or at least, as straight as he could. It had a sharp bend halfway between his elbow and wrist, with the entire piece being twisted to an unnatural angle. The spot around the break was discolored and scarred. The simple act of moving it made Tiso wince.  
     The God Tamer took his wrist with an almost uncharacteristic gentleness and inspected it. “You are left handed, yes?”  
     Tiso nodded.  
     The God Tamer sighed. “May the Pale King bring me strength… Look, I can fix this for you, but it won’t be pretty.”  
     “How would you fix it?” Tiso asked, somewhat concerned.  
     “Well, I would take that rock over there-“ she nodded a small boulder in the corner, “-and re-break your arm so I could set it properly.”  
     Tiso jerked back. “What?! Are you insane?!”  
     “Hey, do you want this fixed or not?”  
     “I woils like you to fix this in a less agonizing manner, thank you very much! Can’t we just go to a Shaman and do some Soul-twisting?”  
     “I wish it were that easy,” The God Tamer replied. “Soul-twisting only restores actual wounds. You body, while it may be mangled and disfigured, is still technically ‘healed’. If anything, Soul-twisting would only strengthen the incorrect alignment, and possibly make things permanent. The only way to make Soul-twisting work properly would be to re-create the injury- and now we’re just back at square one.”  
     Tiso stood in deep contemplation for a moment. He needed to regain his strength, however putting him through another bout of agony seemed counter-intuitive. An idea occluded to him.  
     “How about I just train with my right hand? It still works! I’ve been using spears with it, and-“  
     The God Tamer suddenly bursted into laughter- the kind of laughter that held within it a hint of mockery.  
     “That’s not how training works, you idiot! You cannot simply ‘train with the other hand’ and build up a lifetime of muscle within the span of a couple of weeks! You would need a blessing from the Pale King himself in order to do so!”  
     Tiso steeled himself. “It’s this way, or nothing. I am not putting myself through any more unnecessary pain. The sooner you realize that, the better.”  
     The God Tamer stopped laughing. “You’re really serious about this, aren’t you?”  
     Tiso nodded. The God Tamer sighed.  
     “Fine. BUt be warned- you’re only going to make this harder on yourself, though.”  
     “So be it.” Tiso picked up a spear. “I am ready.”  
     The God Tamer looked at the ground for a moment and hummed, clearly in deep thought.  
     “Well then, we should see what we’re working with here. Hand me one of your spears.”  
     Tiso complied, handing it to her. She grabbed it and began studying its shape. She looked down the shaft, balanced it on her finger. She even pulled out a rock and ran it along the tips edge. Then, she raised it into the air and broke it over her knee.  
     “Hey!” Tiso shouted, “I worked hard on that!”  
     “Apparently, not hard enough. That thing snapped like a twig, and couldn’t stay balanced if you lied it longwise on the ground!”  
     The God Tamer thought for a moment. “I’ll tell you what. I’ll bring you a spear from the Colosseum. You can borrow it for training.”  
     Tiso paused. “Wait. If you are going to give me a weapon, then why not just give me my old shield back?”  
     The God Tamer viciously laughed again. “You-you really want that thing back?”  
     “I don’t appreciate your mockery,.” Tiso grumbled “but yes, I do.”  
     “Well, I’m sorry tell you this, but that piece of junk is long gone- it was stripped down for materials pretty much right after the fight ended. Besides, even if it WAS still around, it’s practically useless as a weapon. I mean, come on! Who has ever heard of a shield that can hurt people! It’s very concept is ridiculous!”  
     “Hey, that ‘junk’ was hand-crafted! I made it myself!”  
     “Aaand that explains a lot.” The God Tamer concluded. Tiso scoffed- clearly, she just didn’t understand his genius.  
     “Okay,” the God Tamer said. “I’m going to come back tomorrow with a new spear. Say. Put.”  
     “Wait, you’re leaving already?!” Tiso questioned angrily. “We haven’t even done anything!”  
     “We can’t do anything, you idiot! Not without a proper weapon!”  
     “Well, can’t I just use yours?”  
     “Oh, no, you could barely lift this thing- it’s almost twenty times my body weight, and with your bad arm you would probably just hurt yourself.”  
     “Well, what should I do, then?” Tiso demanded.  
     “I don’t know. Catch some food. Make more shoddy spears. Keep yourself busy. But! Don’t go anywhere!”  
      With that, the God Tamer turned around and left, leaving Tiso once again alone.  
     This time, though, things were different. He would keep himself entertained, yes, but he most certainly would not stand in place doing nothing.  
     After all, what could be more entertaining than watching a duel at the Colosseum?


	5. Chapter 5

      One of the best parts about living in a giant ravine with only one properly functioning arm would be learning to spot viable walkways very easily. Sheer cliffs that Tiso would have once dismissed as impossible to scale now simply became steep pathways, if one only knew where to step. In a snag, his spear could even be thrust into a crevice and become a makeshift handle.

      Even with all of his practice, though, it still took Tiso well over half the day to make it to the top of the trench. This wasn’t helped by passing swarms of Primal Aspids and a rather persistent Boofly. He, of course,  _ could  _ have just taken the sewer tunnels but… no. Tiso shivered at the thought. It may have been easier, but he would never sacrifice his dignity for the sake of comfort.

      So, as he mad the final steps of the ascent to the top, Tiso was greeted by a sight which he had not seen in nearly a month.

      The Colosseum.

      Even from the rather large distance away he was, Tiso could hear the roar of the crowd. Clearly, a battle was going on. Judging by the excited pitch of the voices, the current contestant must have been doing rather well for themself.

      Tiso pulled his cloak tighter around his face. It would be unlikely that anybody recognized him, but it would be best to hide anyway. He had even taken the time to cake his previously blue cloak in ash and mud, turning it into a more greyed color.

      Tiso made his way through the gaping entrance of the Colosseum, and was about to walk up the flight of stairs, when he heard a slight *cough* behind him.

      He froze. Was somebody there?

      “Aren’t you forgetting something?” A tiny voice asked behind him. Tiso slowly turned around, keeping his head tilted slightly downwards to further conceal his face.

      There sat Little Fool- well, sat was the wrong word to use. He hung upside-down from a chain wrapped tightly around his body, slowly turning around in place.

      “Aren’t you forgetting something?” He inquired. Tiso thought to himself. Had he forgotten something? He couldn’t think of anything important. Nervously, he gave a shrug.

       Little Fool scoffed. “Your entry fee? The one to, you know,  _ enter  _ the viewers’ seating?

      Tiso’s mind races. He had no geo! Ha had lost it all in his battle with the God Tamer. How would he get inside? Would he turn back, after climbing all the way up here? How could he-

      -A thought occurred to him. Hesitantly, Tiso walked up to Little Fool and placed a hand on the chain wrapped around him.

      “What are you doing?” He asked Tiso, slightly annoyed.

      Tiso gave Little Fool an experimental shoves, rocking him back and forth on the chain ever so slightly.

      “Hey, stop that!” Little Fool ordered, this time more angrily.

      Getting the general idea of the extent of Little Fool’s restraints, Tiso smirked mischievously and grabbed the chain.

      “Woah- what are youuuoaAARGH!”   

      Tiso whipped the chain around as hard as he could, spinning Little Fool like a pill-bug-shaped top. He bolted up the stairs, cackling wildy as Little Fool shouted dizzied obscenities and threats of punishment at him from behind.

       As Little Fool’s voice faded behind him, Tiso attempted to regain his focus. He needed to stay low- a bug seemingly coming back from the dead was sure to draw attention, after all, and he couldn’t risk  _ her _ finding out.

      The staircase eventually opened up into a larger room, which curled around the central stadium. Rows upon rows of cheering and jeering spectators lined the seats, roaring and booing At the contestants below. In the middle of the curved seats there was a giant gray throne, which towered above all the other occupants. The mask-like skull of a giant bug was anchored to the top with a series of metal hooks and ropes. Below the skull sat the giant dried corpse of Lord Fool, his cracked head lolled to the side in a perpetual state of boredom. Tiso never understood why they kept the musty old thing around- it was likely only stinking up the place, anyways.

      Metal clashed against metal, and the crowd cheered. Tiso turned his attention to the center pit- he was there for entertainment, after all. One of the contestants was a rather large bug, with a black carapace and short, uneven antennae, almost as if they had been cut off. He wielded an oversized club in one hand, and a similarly sized shield in the other. Black spiked armor adorned his chest, glimmering faintly in the torchlight.

      Tiso then looked at the other contestant-

      Oh.

      Oh no.

      Of course. Of  _ course  _ she would be there. She was the number one champion, after all! Tiso berated himself for being so  _ stupid! _ He was lucky she was so engrossed within the fight, or else he would be in big trouble.

      Tiso considered his options. On one hand, he could simply turn around and go back to his makeshift campsite. He would avoid any trouble caused by his presence, and not risk the God Tamer noticing his departure.

      On the other hand, though, something made Tiso want to stay. Perhaps it was not wanting to waste the long hike to the coliseum, or perhaps he dreaded the long walk home, and wanted to push it off for just a little bit longer. And maybe, just maybe, there was a small part of him that made him curious.

      Curious about  _ her. _

__ So, risking trust, dignity, and possibly a limb or two, Tiso took a seat on the bench, wedging himself between two pillbugs.

      A slow drumbeat signaled the start of the match. The crowd quieted into a tense hush. For a beat that felt like eternity, the two contestants stood still, as of eyeing each other up.

       Then, in a heave of motion, the armored giant swung its club towards the God Tamer, and she responded in kind. The two great weapons *CLASHED* together, a resounding echo reverberating throughout the room.

      The fight had begun.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I suck at updating stuff.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading the first chapter! I you’ve noticed any mistakes, feel free to post them in the comments below! This writing is inspired by a price of fan art by the Tumblr user leeffi. Be sure to check them out!  
> Also, remember to like and comment!


End file.
